Nowadays, “buying White Tea and storing aged Tea” has become a common understanding among enthusiasts of white tea collection. However, do you know that whether buying white tea or storing it, one must first understand the issue of moisture content in white tea?

The moisture content meeting standards is the primary prerequisite for becoming aged white tea. It's like “infrastructure” or “foundation”; just as a building needs a good foundation to be constructed well. According to the national standard for white tea, the moisture content should be less than 8.5% for it to be considered qualified. For long-term storage, white tea should have a moisture content of 6% or lower.

Therefore, when selecting white tea, it is essential to carefully observe and assess its moisture content.

So, how can one assess it? Here, we teach you four key methods to easily become an expert in assessing the moisture content of white tea~

01

Visual Inspection Method

When opening a tea cake, the first step is mainly to look at whether there is separation between the leaves and stems, and if there are any broken leaves. A small amount of separation between the stems and leaves can indicate that the dryness of the white tea meets the standards.

This is because, during packaging and transportation, the tea will inevitably come into contact with itself, leading over time to appropriate leaf fragmentation, which is entirely normal. Moreover, after a long period of aging, due to low moisture content, the connection between the leaves and stems weakens, causing them to naturally dry out, break apart, and form broken leaves.

When looking at a pile of Bai Mudan and Shoumei, the connections between the stems and leaves appear incomplete, caused by handling and pressure during drying. If the temperature and duration of drying are insufficient, resulting in high moisture content in the tea, the connection between the leaves and stems will be exceptionally flexible due to the water content. Therefore, white tea that does not meet the dryness standards will have more intact leaves and stems, making it less prone to breaking. Conversely, if a white tea shows no signs of leaf fragmentation, it is worth being cautious, as it could be due to excessive moisture content in the leaves.

02

Touch Method

Dried white tea provides a different tactile experience through direct hand contact. White tea meeting the dryness standards conveys a very rough touch when touched by hand.

Take a handful of loose tea in your hand and gently stroke it. If the feel is dry, the leaves have a fresh fragrance, the body of the leaves has a natural smoothness, and they are not sticky, then the dryness is generally sufficient.

White tea with adequate dryness, such as Silver Needle, has a natural softness. The downy hair is loose and fluffy, resembling a dogtail grass, dandelion, or a squirrel's tail.

White tea with adequate dryness, such as Bai Mudan, has firm and crisp leaves like potato chips.

White tea with adequate dryness, such as Shoumei, feels smooth when held, with thin and sharp edges. The leaves are compact, and the stems are upright. When viewed from an angle under light, the front of the leaves has a faint sheen.

03

Crumbling Method

Crumbling involves separately crumbling the leaves and stems to conduct a test.

Whether leaves or stems, white tea with sufficient dryness can be easily snapped, and the snapped surfaces still have sharpness and hardness.

If the dryness is adequate, new white tea leaves crumble easily, much like potato chips. However, if the leaves feel limp and difficult to snap, or cannot be snapped at all, the moisture content does not meet the standards.

04

Smelling Method

Utilizing one's senses to assess the moisture content of white tea, the smelling method is particularly important. In Buddhist teachings, it is often said that one gains understanding and attains nirvana through smelling. Smelling is crucial. By smelling the aroma of white tea, one can not only assess its moisture content but also judge the quality of the tea itself.

New white tea meeting the dryness standards:

The aroma is dry, fresh, and refreshing, carrying the scent of dried plants, similar to dried mugwort or dried flowers in a florist's shop.

Aged white tea meeting the dryness standards:

The aroma is dry, rich, and serene, carrying the taste of time, which although fleeting and intangible, is perfectly preserved within the aged white tea.

During the process of buying and smelling tea, if the aroma is weak or emits strange odors such as dampness, wateriness, sourness, or even moldiness, one should be cautious!

Thus, during the process of purchasing white tea, moisture content is one of the critical factors that cannot be overlooked. If one buys white tea that does not meet the moisture content standards, excess moisture can become the “killer” of aged white tea in later storage, causing it to become damp and deteriorate, rendering it completely unsuitable for consumption.